It’s that time of year again! The time where I sink into what we affectionately call, Dance Hell 😆. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating, I have always felt like a Hockey Mom trapped in a Dance Mom’s life 😂. I grew up playing ringette and baseball, dance was not part of my routine, at all. When HBear first began dancing she only had 1 dance! I can totally handle 1 costume… Right? Wrong! That first year I messed up so badly that I brought the wrong coloured nylons to finale! Not only that, I showed up 10 minutes before stage time! Thank God for all the Dance Moms that realized I needed help and were there waiting with proper nylons and make up to get me through it. The next year I kind of continued to wing it but made sure that I took out my earphones long enough to find out the particulars 😳😆.
Over the past 3 years as I’ve had 2 daughters in dance and our schedule has become filled with different dance routines, I have gotten a bit better. Last year, I think I finally allowed myself to become a full-fledged Dance Mom. I have been able to maneuver the backstage shenanigans by watching and learning! I was so worried that Dance Moms were going to be… Well, exactly the way everybody pictures Dance Moms to be 🤣 They aren’t! Or at least not at our studio! I am so grateful for the friendships I’ve made and for these women that are so incredibly talented, organized, and smart! I have stolen so many of their ideas and this year I think I have got what it takes to become the best Dance Mom version of me yet!
Because I have learned so much I feel like I have a duty to share what I have learned! So here are some of the best Dance Mom hacks that I have thought of or taken from my amazing Dance Mom group!
Dance Bags.
Dance bags or garment bags as some laymen might call them 😂 are expensive! I bought a pack of 7 on Amazon a few years ago for cheap! However, they don’t have the plastic pockets on the outside like the expensive bags do. Why do you need a pocket on the outside you ask? So you can be organized! That’s the key, organization! In the fancy dance bags I noticed I could put my costume instructions right into the pocket area and always know what’s in each bag and what accessories/hairstyles/make up go with each costume! So I got to thinking and did a little crafting!
First I bought page protectors and cut them in half.
Then I brought out my trusty tape gun!
I placed 1 half page protector on the left of the zipper and 1 on the right of the zipper. Then I taped them down. Only tape 3 sides though, leave the top open!
When it is securely in place open up your pocket and tape down the backside to the garment bag.
Add little Velcro fasteners to the middle of your pocket, at the top.
Write out the instructions for each dance costume on a cue card and place inside of the pocket!
Now, you can change out your cue cards and put them in order of picture day, competition day, or finale! I like to have 2 costumes per bag, front costume is left instructions and back costume is right instructions!
This year I bought my own garment rack! Usually a few of us Dance Moms borrow the studio’s racks but this year due to Covid, we all had to stay 6 feet away from each other. So, I needed my own! This one is light, folds down, and holds all the costumes that I need it to hold! Thank you Amazon!
This past weekend one of the very best Dance Moms showed me a new trick! A shoe rack hanger! Duh! I don’t know how I didn’t think of this one before 😆. I can put all of the Girls dance shoes in each pocket and still have room for my giant can of hairspray, a water bottle to spray hair down between changes, and a flat iron! I may even get fancy and use my label maker at some point 😜.
I also carry a weekender bag for all my tools. My Sis bought me this bag 100 years ago for when I slept at Ninja’s house so that I had something pretty to use to carry my pyjamas and stuff in😆. Who knew how handy it would come in all these years later? 💕 inside my weekender I carry my 3-tier tool kit and a travel bag with “extras”.
It’s so funny because a few years ago one of my SBesty gave me a “starter kit” with a few necessities in it. She laughs when she sees how far I’ve come since that day! What is in my toolbox? Only the essentials 🤣.
In my extras bag I keep:
Make up wipes, detangler, spray gel (another tip I stole from this weekend!), Cotton balls/pads/swabs, clear nail polish (for any runs in nylons 😬), a small sewing kit, bobby pins, extra donuts, extra bra straps, Advil, clips and a Tide pen!
I have my 3 tier toolbox set up with make up, hair, and accessories.
In my make up tier I keep:
A lipstick palette, fake eyelashes, glue, a blush stick, an eyeshadow palette, lipstick brushes (way easier to paint on lipstick than to use the stick!), an eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, lip liner, and face powder.
My hair tier consists of:
Different sized hair donuts, hairnets, hair combs, and this time I am keeping HBear’s feathers in there for safekeeping.
In my accessory tier I keep:
Blending sponges, elastic bands, hair pins (not bobby pins! This is super important and possibly the BEST tip I have ever received), Band-Aids, double sided tape, hair ties, safety pins, extra brushes, and hair elastics.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #221: Over Excited HERE! Topics: cookies, Tin Whistle Brewery, social situations, reaching out, sister hangs, liking your leaders, fat cream, dress rehearsal, & music memories.
Tuesdays are weird. HBear has dance right after school but by the time she gets home SBean has to leave for dance. So, I try to make a dinner that I can make for SBean ahead of time and then make it again when HBear gets home! This usually consists of sandwiches, eggs, or salads. For the past 2 weeks we have been trying out different types of egg recipes because eggs for dinner isn’t weird. You’re weird for thinking it’s weird. 🤣 Pretty sure that’s from a Canadian Egg Farmer commercial and we love it!
I saw this recipe come up on the Food Network and I thought, “oh man that looks easy and delicious!” And guess what? It was! It took less than 5 minutes to prep and less than 1 minute to cook! It was filling, delicious, and so versatile! You could put anything in it! It’s almost like an omelet and a breakfast burrito rolled into 1… Literally 😂. I love to add a little bit of Tabasco sauce to my eggs but if you don’t like that, leave it out! I also love using Everything Bagel Seasoning with my eggs, I make my own and I added that recipe too! Honestly, it’s super simple to make and tastes good on basically everything including popcorn! Enjoy!
Stuffed Egg Wrap Tortilla
2 large eggs
salt and pepper
Couple dashes Tabasco Sauce
1 tablespoon Everything Bagel seasoning***
1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon butter
One tortilla
1/3 cup baby spinach
2 tablespoons cheese (I used Feta)
2-3 thin slices deli ham
1/2 shallot, chopped
***Everything Bagel Seasoning:
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (I just used 2 tablespoons of white this time because I was out of black.)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (I used garlic powder this time)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried minced onion (I used onion powder this time)
2 teaspoons sea salt or coarse salt
Keep in a spice jar and use on EVERYTHING!
Combine the eggs with a pinch of salt, several grinds of pepper, milk and Tabasco Sauce in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Continue to cook the eggs until they are completely set on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Slide a large silicone spatula under the tortilla and flip the whole tortilla and egg over in one single motion. Add the ham on the half of the tortilla that’s closest to you, then top with the cooked veggies and finally the cheese. Sprinkle Bagel Seasoning on the side without the toppings. Continue to cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and slide onto a plate.
Starting with the side that has all the filling, start rolling the tortilla into a tight wrap or burrito. Keep the seam side facing downward so the wrap stays closed. Cut in half crosswise and serve.
